Two plays changed the course of the game, Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. But he wouldn't
specify them.

"I don't think I can," he said, looking away. "Jeez."

His counterpart, Tubby Smith, was not as reticent when asked about the potential tying shot that
was deflected by William Buford with one second left yesterday and preserved the Buckeyes' 67-64
victory over Minnesota in their Big Ten home opener in Value City Arena.

"It was a foul," the Golden Gophers coach said.

Neither coach was thrilled with the officiating after a game in which Ohio State was called for
eight fouls - nearly half its game total - while trying to protect an 18-point lead in the final
81/2 minutes.

But the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes (16-0 overall, 3-0) were not blameless in the turnaround.

Battling foul trouble that claimed David Lighty for the final 21/2 minutes, they had all seven
of their second-half turnovers in the final 8:03 and missed half of the 14 free throws they
attempted in the last 6:32.

"It got a little hectic," said Lighty, who led Ohio State with 19 points against a defense
designed to stop Jared Sullinger and Jon Diebler.

"We've just got to keep our heads. Things didn't go our way, but we stuck in there and found a
way to win."

Sullinger managed 15 points and 12 rebounds against the tag team of Ralph Sampson III, Trevor
Mbakwe and Colton Iverson. They invested 10 fouls in trying to push him outside his comfort zone in
the lane.

Freshman guard Aaron Craft had 11 points and seven assists and committed just three turnovers,
two of them in the last seven minutes, when Gophers ballhawk Al Nolen picked him up the length of
the court as Minnesota (12-4, 1-3) gradually whittled its deficit.

"I think their pressure kind of got us out of our offense, out of our flow," Craft said. "We
kind of just tried to play a little stall ball here and there, and that's not what got us the lead
in the first place.

"But give them the credit. They came up and started pressuring us, and I think that got us a
little flustered and it took us awhile to get adjusted to it."

Trailing 55-37 with 8:30 to play after a pair of Lighty three-pointers 38 seconds apart, the
Gophers had a chance to force overtime after a three-point play by Nolen cut their deficit to 67-64
with 44.6 seconds left.

They astutely fouled Dallas Lauderdale, a 33 percent free-throw shooter, on the Buckeyes'
ensuing possession. After Lauderdale missed both bonus throws with 28.5 seconds left, they got
three chances to force overtime with the shot clock off.

After Nolen missed a driving layup, Lauderdale saved the rebound from going out of bounds but
fired it directly to the Gophers' Austin Hollins' in the lane. He put up a shot that missed but
claimed the rebound, and Minnesota called timeout with 15.1 seconds left.

There was little doubt in the Ohio State huddle who was going to get the final shot for the
Gophers. Blake Hoffarber is their only three-point threat after Devoe Joseph quit the team last
week.

"Coach Matta knew they were going to try to get Hoffarber the ball," Sullinger said, "and we
knew he was going to come off two screens. He said whoever's on the top (of the key), pretty much
sell out and make somebody else make a three. Dallas did that and really kind of discombobulated
them."

Lauderdale's hedge off the second screen helped Diebler eliminate Hoffarber as an option and
forced the ball into the hands of freshman Austin Hollins. His attempt from the left wing, in front
of Smith, was deflected by Buford and came down well short of the basket, in Sullinger's hands, as
the final horn sounded.